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Published: Saturday, May 25, 2013 at 9:26 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, May 25, 2013 at 9:26 p.m.

Hurricane Isaac had blasted ashore a few hours earlier in Terrebonne Parish, and I was in The Courier’s newsroom staring at something I had never seen.

A National Hurricane Center advisory on my computer screen said the storm’s eye was zero miles north of Houma.

You probably recall how lucky most of us were during that storm. About 30 or 40 miles northeast, St. John Parish and surrounding communities suffered devastating flooding and property damage.

But here, where Isaac made landfall and the eye spent several hours over Houma, damage was significant but much more isolated, mostly caused by fallen trees rather than storm surge or floodwaters.

As the six-month hurricane season begins again Saturday, officials are once again advising residents not to depend on luck. Instead, put together a disaster plan for you and your family. Know in advance where you will go and how you will get there if officials again order you to evacuate. And when parish officials order you to leave for your own safety — just do it.

I and other Courier staff members are putting the finishing touches on this year’s 36-page hurricane guide, a free bonus section in Friday’s Courier and Daily Comet. It’s the most comprehensive manual anywhere in the Houma-Thibodaux area, which is why Terrebonne and Lafourche government officials have declared it the parishes’ official guide.

Reading and following the expert instructions it contains could save you and your family’s lives and help protect your home and business. It could make evacuating — if it comes to that — a whole lot easier for you and others. And it could save you precious time and money if a storm heads our way.

You’ll also find the guide online at houmatoday.com/stormtracker and dailycomet.com/stormtracker. This section of our websites is accessible to anyone anytime — free of charge.

As we promised before launching our online subscriptions last month, our websites will offer free access to everyone during hurricanes and other major emergencies. Houmatoday.com and dailycomet.com have provided the most credible, timely and comprehensive coverage of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes before, during and after every hurricane since the websites went live in the late 1990s. The Courier and Daily Comet, as print newspapers, have served the same role for generations and are especially important to deliver news to residents who lack power or access to information via cellphone, tablet or computer.

As we proved during Isaac, our social-media presence — specifically via Twitter and Facebook — offers an instant and easy way for residents to learn what’s going on from our journalists in the field and to communicate with us and each other about what’s happening. If you aren’t among the more than 18,000 people who have “liked” our Facebook pages already, do it now before hurricane season begins.

One of the consistent refrains I hear during storms is that national TV stations offer little to no coverage of Terrebonne and Lafourche. For the most part, that has been and will continue to be true. Network news stations have a much broader world view and a lot of other things to occupy their time, focus and resources.

In contrast, our energies are focused squarely on what matters most to you: you, your home, your family, your community.

Our websites have provided 24-hour coverage of every storm I can remember for nearly two decades. Courier and Daily Comet journalists have remained in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes — sometimes putting themselves in harm’s way — to keep our community informed during a crisis.

If you want to stay informed, if you want timely, accurate and credible news about your community before, during and after a storm, stay tuned to The Courier and Daily Comet and their websites. We’ll be here for you when it matters most.

Courier and Daily Comet Executive Editor Keith Magill can be reached at 857-2201 or

<p>Hurricane Isaac had blasted ashore a few hours earlier in Terrebonne Parish, and I was in The Courier's newsroom staring at something I had never seen.</p><p>A National Hurricane Center advisory on my computer screen said the storm's eye was zero miles north of Houma.</p><p>You probably recall how lucky most of us were during that storm. About 30 or 40 miles northeast, St. John Parish and surrounding communities suffered devastating flooding and property damage.</p><p>But here, where Isaac made landfall and the eye spent several hours over Houma, damage was significant but much more isolated, mostly caused by fallen trees rather than storm surge or floodwaters.</p><p>As the six-month hurricane season begins again Saturday, officials are once again advising residents not to depend on luck. Instead, put together a disaster plan for you and your family. Know in advance where you will go and how you will get there if officials again order you to evacuate. And when parish officials order you to leave for your own safety — just do it.</p><p>I and other Courier staff members are putting the finishing touches on this year's 36-page hurricane guide, a free bonus section in Friday's Courier and Daily Comet. It's the most comprehensive manual anywhere in the Houma-Thibodaux area, which is why Terrebonne and Lafourche government officials have declared it the parishes' official guide.</p><p>Reading and following the expert instructions it contains could save you and your family's lives and help protect your home and business. It could make evacuating — if it comes to that — a whole lot easier for you and others. And it could save you precious time and money if a storm heads our way.</p><p>You'll also find the guide online at houmatoday.com/stormtracker and dailycomet.com/stormtracker. This section of our websites is accessible to anyone anytime — free of charge.</p><p>As we promised before launching our online subscriptions last month, our websites will offer free access to everyone during hurricanes and other major emergencies. Houmatoday.com and dailycomet.com have provided the most credible, timely and comprehensive coverage of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes before, during and after every hurricane since the websites went live in the late 1990s. The Courier and Daily Comet, as print newspapers, have served the same role for generations and are especially important to deliver news to residents who lack power or access to information via cellphone, tablet or computer.</p><p>As we proved during Isaac, our social-media presence — specifically via Twitter and Facebook — offers an instant and easy way for residents to learn what's going on from our journalists in the field and to communicate with us and each other about what's happening. If you aren't among the more than 18,000 people who have “liked” our Facebook pages already, do it now before hurricane season begins.</p><p>One of the consistent refrains I hear during storms is that national TV stations offer little to no coverage of Terrebonne and Lafourche. For the most part, that has been and will continue to be true. Network news stations have a much broader world view and a lot of other things to occupy their time, focus and resources. </p><p>In contrast, our energies are focused squarely on what matters most to you: you, your home, your family, your community.</p><p>Our websites have provided 24-hour coverage of every storm I can remember for nearly two decades. Courier and Daily Comet journalists have remained in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes — sometimes putting themselves in harm's way — to keep our community informed during a crisis.</p><p>If you want to stay informed, if you want timely, accurate and credible news about your community before, during and after a storm, stay tuned to The Courier and Daily Comet and their websites. We'll be here for you when it matters most.</p><p>Courier and Daily Comet Executive Editor Keith Magill can be reached at 857-2201 or</p><p> keith.magill@houmatoday.com.</p>